Branding a Country: Bolivia Travel Promotion

Designed by Sara Barlow
Fall 2014
Northern Illinois University
School of Art and Design
Intermediate Visual Communication I, ARTD 312
Professor John Ashmann

Project Details

Mission:
To create a series of assets exploring different types of marks featuring Bolivia and the many possibilities of expressing the country’s characteristics through branding.

Purpose of Identity:
To create interest in tourism to Bolivia through dynamic visual marks representing the character of the country and her peoples.

Target Audience:
Wilderness enthusiasts, outdoor recreation enthusiasts (especially mountain bicyclists and mountain climbers), environmentalists, people with an interest in Andean culture (history, art history, missionary work), poverty-relief activists, photographers, wildlife enthusiasts. Healthy young adults (18-35), older retired couples, well-educated, affluent, Western background.

Audience Goals:

Have an authentic experience of Bolivia, get in touch with nature, explore ancient ruins, discover different Indigenous cultures.

Highlights of Possibilities:
Learn about the Incan and Pre-Incan Andean civilizations by visiting sacred ruins and observing cultural artifacts; explore Bolivia’s many outdoor recreational opportunities via mountain bike, mountain climbing, hiking, off-road driving, boating, wilderness photography, etc.

Tagline:
¡Via a Bolivia!

Bolivia is...

Top Adjectives:
Adventurous, Rugged, Dramatic, Andean, Geometric

Additional Adjectives:

Indigenous, Compassionate, Earth-centered, Outdoorsy, Variegated, Pure, Tropical, Arid, Mountainous, Bisected, Fastened, Gripping, Provocative, Unstable, Vulnerable

Metaphors:

A femme fatale. A Jeep. A quilt. A glass of wine. A BASE jumper.

Palettes

Snapshot

The region now known as Bolivia has been occupied for at least 3000 years when the Aymara arrived and settled there. The capital of the Aymara civilization, called Tiwanaku, was located in Western Bolivia and dates back to 1200 BCE. In 400 CE, Tiwanaku grew to urban proportions and began colonizing and absorbing other cultures in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. The Tiwanaku empire was extremely advanced, with complex methods of irrigation and monumental civic buildings. The Tiwanaku empire dissolved around 1000 CE due to persistent drought and declining food production.

In the 1400s, the Inca empire expanded to Western Bolivia and absorbed the last of the remaining Aymara in the 1500s. Because the Inca empire was internally weak, it was easy for the Spanish conquistadors to colonize the empire and divide the regions. The Bolivian region remained unstable throughout the Spanish colonial period. Many of the Indigenous people who converted to Christianity retained elements of their traditional religions and culture. Spanish colonial rule was particularly violent and cruel to many of the Indigenous people. A vast quantity of Spain’s wealth at the time was gained via precious metals in Bolivia.

“Bolivia has the largest proportion of indigenous people, who make up around two-thirds of the population. Though rich in mineral and energy resources, Bolivia is one of South America’s poorest countries. Wealthy urban elites, who are mostly of Spanish ancestry, have traditionally dominated political and economic life, whereas most Bolivians are low-income subsistence farmers, miners, small traders or artisans.” Today, the wealthy elite and the poverty-stricken Indigenous tribes contribute to a stark social dynamic in Bolivia.

Sources:

Hanson, Parker Earl. Bolivia. 1959. American Geographical Society Around the World Program. Nelson Doubleday, Inc.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-29588002
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bl.html

Mood Board